Bad For Business
by Kiyral
Summary: Luke's jealousy of a handsome potential client of Karrde's organization interferes with Mara's plan for closing the deal. New rating for adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

Here's to starting another crazy adventure with my favorite Star Wars duo. In my opinion, there aren't nearly enough of these stories out there!

Please, when you're finished reading, take a second to tell me what you liked (or what you didn't) by submitting a review.

Special thanks to my Beta-Buddy, Lauriana. You-da-best!

Cheers!  
-Kiyral

_Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or its characters. I merely borrow them from time to time for my own enjoyment. I make no profit off this stuff._

* * *

Luke hadn't liked Mara's date for that evening, though it appeared Mara certainly did. He could tell by the way the fiery trader kept leaning in to whisper at the strikingly handsome Prince when she thought no one was looking. By the way she smiled and laughed, her green eyes shining, at everything he had to say. Perhaps Mara Jade didn't think anyone would notice, or perhaps she didn't care, but Luke had been watching every move. He had also noticed the frequency in which Mara had drained her glass of brandy; at least half-a-dozen times throughout the party. Not that he was keeping count, of course.

So when he returned home after dropping off his sister, he was surprised to see the red-haired beauty pacing near the door to his apartment. She was trailing her fingertips across the wall and her black shimmersilk gown glistened with every step. As soon as Mara noticed him, she stopped to lean clumsily against the wall and snorted.

"About time. What, did you crawl here?" Mara said impatiently.

"As a matter of fact," Luke countered as he keyed the door open, "I had to help Leia organize a few things after dropping her off." He glanced sideways at his visitor, "I wasn't really expecting company."

Mara snorted again. "Sure," she said, then raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the door that had remained closed, "You going to invite me in or what?"

"Of course." Luke signaled the door again and his cheeks flushed in embarrassment that it hadn't opened at his initial command. After trying his pass-key again, the door still refused to budge.

"It seems you and technology don't make the best bedfellows," Mara teased watching his flush deepen.

When his third and fourth attempts both failed, Mara deftly snatched the card from the Jedi's grip, and leaned across him to access the card reader. In mid-lean, her mouth paused by his ear and she teased, "Let me help you with that, Farmboy."

Luke was suddenly very aware of how near she was but found himself unable, or simply unwilling, to move. Rooted in place, he was hypnotized by her intoxicating scent; a mixture of warm ocean breezes and delicate jihill'ia blossoms blended with an exotically spiced brandy. Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes and savored the fragrance unaware that Mara had opened the door on her first try.

"Ahem." Mara cleared her throat forcing Luke's eyes to snap back open, "You going to stand there all night sniffing me, or are we going to go inside?"

He shrugged, offering a silly apologetic grin, and gestured for Mara to head inside first. "You smell nice," he said simply.

Mara rolled her eyes and walked inside with Luke close at her heels. Once the door was closed, she permitted herself a glance about the room, but instead of choosing one of the inviting seats, she remained standing and turned back to the Jedi.

Regarding him for several seconds, Mara crossed her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes, notably managing to keep her balance. "So what was with you tonight?"

Luke paled, "I don't know what you mean."

Mara cocked her head to one side and deftly raised a single eyebrow enticing a small sigh from the patient Jedi. "You were watching me all evening."

"I wasn't…"

Mara silently closed what little distance there was between them with one deliberate step. "But you were," she breathed.

Luke's vision clouded slightly and he could feel his pulse quicken. He didn't even realize he had been backing away until he collided with the wall behind him. Mara was still close enough for him to count the specks in her shining green eyes. Green eyes that seemed somewhat darker than normal.

"I didn't get a moment's peace tonight with you glaring at me. What's your problem?" Mara accused, blinking hard and frowning as if trying hard to keep her subject's face in focus.

"I just…Mara, I didn't mean to…"

"Damn it, Skywalker!" Mara slapped her palm against the wall beside Luke's head to emphasize her frustration, "Don't play coy with me! I was supposed to close this deal for Karrde tonight and now it's going to take another whole week because of you! Do you even realize how much you've set me back?"

It was Luke's turn to frown, "How was all that my fault?"

Mara pulled her hand from the wall and used it to massage her closed eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose. She sighed tiredly and took a few steps backwards, stumbling into the closest chair. "You were being so Sith-damned _loud_! It was a huge distraction…I just couldn't concentrate. I even tried drinking to drown it out, but it only seemed to compound the problem. I could tell that Prince Phialo was getting frustrated with me."

"How?" The Jedi asked dumbly.

Mara glared at Luke and adopted a sarcastic tone, "He sent me a candy gram." She rolled her eyes and shook her head in defeat, "He ducked out early before we'd closed the deal. Said something about discussing the issue when we could be alone, without my jealous lover hovering over my shoulder all evening."

A quizzical expression settled on Luke's brow and he absently rubbed his chin with the back of his hand. "…who?" He didn't seem to remember anyone bothering the two of them.

Bitter sarcasm changed to exasperation and the frustrated trader threw her arms up in the air. "You, Skywalker! He was talking about _you_! You and your skulking looks all night, what the Sith were you thinking?" Mara let out a deep breath and leaned back in the chair, pulling her hands slowly down her face, "Karrde's going to have a bloody conniption when he finds out, that's for damned sure."

Luke stood in stunned silence. He thought he'd been extremely careful not to be obvious about his 'surveillance' at the party. He knew full well just how infuriated Mara could get if and when she felt someone was invading her privacy. Had he really been that obvious?

A loud snort brought the Jedi out of his inner monologue.

Red hair spilled around the fingertips she was using to massage her temples, "Forget it," she said dismissively.

"Mara, I'm sorry." Luke apologized.

Mara gave him a dubious look. "I'm sure you are."

Her sarcasm enticed a reactionary wince. "No, really. Let me make it up to you."

Mara dropped her hands in her lap and raised an eyebrow, "I'm intrigued," she said with only a hint of her natural sarcasm, "Go on."

"Dinner. Tomorrow night," he paused to gauge her reaction and continued when she didn't refuse, "I'll cook…" Luke's voice trailed off as Mara's expression darkened. "I mean I'll take you out, someplace fancy."

"Alright," Mara agreed reluctantly, "but this place better be expensive."

Luke swallowed visibly. "Right, _Tres Envieux_?" He suggested the most exclusive place that came to mind, "pick you up at eight?"

"On the nose." She stood up carefully from her seat and looked the Jedi straight in the eye before making her way to the door, swaying only slightly. "Gods help you if you're even a second late, Farmboy." She palmed the internal release and the door flew open as she turned to leave.

Noticing her slight wobble and steadying hand trailing the wall, Luke scrunched up his brow and called out hesitantly, "You okay, Mara? Can I walk you home?"

"I'm fine, Jedi!" She snapped, not bothering to look back at him. "You just worry about tomorrow night."

With that, the door slid closed behind her and Luke was left alone feeling as if he'd just survived a swoop wreck. Exhausted, he sighed and found his way into the bedchamber. Without bothering to undress, the once-hero of the Rebellion collapsed face first onto his bed, defeated by an angry woman with an appetite that could rival a Wookiee's. He groaned when he imagined the waiter handing him the bill. She was going to wipe out his entire savings, he was sure of it.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Luke awoke with a dry mouth and wrinkled clothes. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around the room, running through a few mental exercises to clear his foggy mind. Stifling a yawn, he stood up and stretched, letting his memories from the night before wash over him.

With a groan and a glance at the wall chrono, he decided to call the restaurant and make a reservation. _Tres Envieux_ was such a popular establishment; it was next to impossible to make reservations less than a month in advance. He was going to have to play the 'hero' card. Normally, Luke hated the extra attention his part in the downfall of the Empire had given him, but in instances such as this, the perks seemed to outweigh the nuisances. He had no trouble at all in securing a table for that very evening.

After ending the call, he thought for a moment about dialing for Mara, but thought the better of it and settled for steaming mug of cocoa followed by a hot shower. Judging from the lack of her usual cat-like grace as she exited his apartment the night before, she was more than likely _not_ having the best of mornings.

* * *

With a mild groan, Mara Jade pulled one of her pillows over her head to block the intrusive sunlight. Her wake-up alarm had long since come and gone, yet her body was unwilling to cooperate after the punishment it had taken the night before. She was planning to spend another few hours in bed nursing her hangover when the comm chimed.

Reaching to her nightstand, she keyed it to 'voice only' and answered the call, "Mmmmph."

"Mara?" Talon Karrde's voice came over clear and precise.

Mara pulled the pillow from her head and sat up painfully. Clearing her throat, she confirmed, "Yes, it's me."

Though he tried to hide it, she could hear the concern laced in his voice when he asked, "What happened last night? You didn't close the deal with the Prince."

Embarrassed, but unwilling to make excuses, Mara apologized, "I'm sorry, Karrde. There was a hiccup… it's going to take longer than I thought. Can you give me 'til the end of the week?"

"That's cutting it a bit close, don't you think?" Karrde's simple question caused Mara to grimace.

Every day they delayed was one day less they'd have to get Phialo's gas mine up and running before the plant on Uulio was shut down, cutting off nearly sixty percent of the galaxy's bera'lli gas resources. Of course there were only a handful of beings that knew this information, Karrde and Mara being two. They needed to convince the Prince to sell them his mine before the news broke and the price of the gas skyrocketed making acquiring the mine next to impossible.

The throbbing in Mara's head seemed to intensify at the thought of missing out on this deal, "I understand what's at stake here, I just had a minor setback."

Karrde waited two beats before replying crisply, "See to it that you suffer no more of them. We can't afford to lose this deal, Mara. I can't stress the importance of this enough: do whatever it takes."

Mara stifled a sigh, "Of course. I'll keep you updated."

"Right then. Karrde out."

With a click, the transmission ended and the young trader flopped back onto her pillows. A low groan escaped from her lips when she glanced at the bedside chrono. Hangover or not, she'd have to get herself cleaned up and make plans to see the Prince again. Best to do it _without_ the dark circles under her eyes.

As Mara gingerly rolled out of her bed and headed for the fresher, she could tell this was going to be a long day.

* * *

In the presidential suite of the luxurious Coruscant Galactic Resort, Prince Phialo had been up and about for several hours already. The chambermaids had already tended to his bathing and dressing and had laid out a morning meal for him which still sat untouched in the dining area.

Ignoring the fact that the two scantily clad young maids were hovering in the doorway awaiting his dismissal, the Prince sighed and tossed his data pad to the desk. This gas mine had been in his family for generations and he couldn't wait to be rid of it. It had been profitable once, long ago, but recently it had simply been a drain on the Royal Family's resources. Why someone like Karrde would have any interest in it whatsoever was completely beyond comprehension. The Prince nearly had a mind to simply give it to the man, only… he could sense how badly the former smuggler wanted it, which made him pause. Talon Karrde wanted it bad enough to tempt him with beauty.

And tempted he was. Tempted and intrigued by the mysterious beauty of Mara Jade. The Prince wasn't a stupid man, to say the least, but he was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it. Right now what he wanted was the smoldering redhead who was unimpressed with his wealth and power. Generally speaking, those were his traits that most females he'd bedded had been attracted to most. Of course it didn't hurt that he was undeniably handsome as well. But for some reason, none of this seemed to have any affect on the fiery trader, as she had been distracted all evening by a short blond man who had been watching them.

Obviously the two were lovers. No matter, he had overcome that sort of obstacle many times before. Besides, he had something she wanted. Soon he would find out how far she was willing to go to get it… and if she wasn't willing to go that far? Well, he had overcome that obstacle before as well.

Licking his lips in hungry anticipation, Phialo suddenly looked up at the two maids still waiting nervously in his doorway. With a wave of his hand, he signaled the two girls into the room and had them shut the door. He made a mental note to make dinner plans with Jade for that evening, but first he had needs to attend to.

One of the maids shivered as she caught the glint of lust in the Prince's eye and longed to be on the _other_ side of the door as it closed ominously. She steeled herself as she and her companion made their way toward the Prince. From experience, she knew he was not a gentle lover.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note:** It has been a long time coming. Thanks everyone for your support while I was away. And an extra special thanks to Lauriana for continuing with me on this journey after so many years away! Anyway, here you go:

* * *

"Of course. I'd be delighted to join you for dinner," Mara replied to the image on her holo-screen, fluttering soft dark lashes over her sharp green eyes and hoping the man on the other end of the screen couldn't see the beads of perspiration at her temples.

"Ah, wonderful," Prince Phialo smiled back at her greedily, "I'd love to go over your proposal free of, ahh… unnecessary distractions,"

Mara bit her tongue and hid a grimace.

"And since I'm not quite as familiar with the area, I would be ever so grateful if you were to choose the venue, My Dear."

"How does _Tres Envioux_ sound?" Mara suggested the first place that came to mind, then paused a moment and tried to ignore the nagging feeling that she was forgetting something.

"Sounds perfect. Shall I pick you up at eight?"

Mara frowned, "…Eight?"

"Miss Jade, is something wrong?" The Prince asked concernedly, raising one eyebrow.

With a light shake of her red hair, Mara attempted to steady her swimming thoughts and dismissed the feeling as déjà vu, "No Your Highness, I'll be ready for you at eight." She chose to display her most disarming smile as she cut the connection with Phialo. Tonight she would have the Prince eating out of her hand. The deal would be signed and gift-wrapped for Karrde before morning, she was sure of it. That is, if she could just settle her stomach and clear her head. Speaking of which...

Mara sighed and plopped unceremoniously onto the couch behind her, then grimaced in pain as her headache surged. She swore to herself that she would make Skywalker sorry for his behavior at the party last night. In fact, she had meant to go to his place afterwards and confront him, but she must have just been too exhausted – or drunk – because she remembered leaving the venue and that was it; she must have only barely made it home before passing out.

With a fresh surge of determination, Mara stood with every intention of going to tell off that nosey Jedi, but a wave of nausea changed her destination to the 'fresher unit where she spent the next several hours.

And then it was time to get ready for dinner…

* * *

Luke Skywalker looked at the wall chrono and spoke the numbers aloud to himself, "Six forty-five."

Thinking it would be a good idea to start getting ready a bit earlier that he usually did since Mara specifically warned him not to be late, the Jedi hung the black suit he would wear on a hook near the 'fresher, then hopped into the shower for a quick scrub. Ten minutes later he was toweling himself off, a smile slowly forming on his lips.

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't believe his luck! He'd been trying to gather his courage for weeks to ask Mara out. Ever since she stopped trying to kill him (even before, probably), he had wondered what it would feel like to hold her close. For her to gaze deeply into his eyes as he drowned in hers.

He was snapped out of his fantasy when the door chime sounded. Luke stretched out with his senses and was surprised at who he found waiting outside his apartment. Quickly, Luke secured the last fasteners on his dress tunic as he made his way to the entrance and opened his door.

"Hey, Lando!" Luke pulled the rakish gambler into a friendly embrace, "Come in, come in! What's going on?"

Lando grinned widely and clasped Luke's shoulder, "Hey, Kid, its good to see you! Sorry to show up unannounced, I was just in the area and was wondering if you could help me with a small problem I'm having,"

Luke glanced at his wrist chrono and saw that he still had an hour before meeting Mara, "Sure, I've got a few minutes, Lando. What seems to be the problem?"

Impossibly, Lando's grin widened, "I knew I could count on you, Buddy! It would actually be quicker if I just showed you, and it will really only take a minute..."

* * *

Luke glanced at his wrist chrono again and swore. He was nearly twenty minutes late to pick up Mara and he was sure she would be furious. Lando had been right about the favor only taking a minute, he just underplayed how long it would take to get there... and back, "Just in the area, my boot," Luke said under his breath as he sounded the door chime at Mara's apartment.

After only a moment, Luke inhaled slowly and gave the door an odd look; he couldn't sense anyone inside. His brow furrowed in concern as he rapped several times on the door, "Mara?" He called, knowing he wouldn't get an answer.

"Mister, are you looking for the pretty red-haired lady that lives there?" A young girl of about four or five years was staring at him from down the hall, holding a red ball under one arm and ignoring the younger girl at her feet who was lightly kicking her shins.

"Um, yeah," Luke replied, caught somewhat off guard.

"She left a while ago in a beautiful blue dress! It was the most beautiful dress I've ever seen! I asked her if she was going to a ball, but she said she was just meeting someone for dinner," the girl seemed quite disappointed that the beautiful dress hadn't been meant for a magical ball, but seemed interested in the occasion anyway, "What's your name, Mister?"

"I'm Luke. What's your name?" He was thankful for the girl's observations and took this as good news. Maybe she assumed that he was meeting her there instead of picking her up.

"I'm Bekkah and this is Kymmie," she patted the head of the little blonde girl still kicking away at Bekkah's legs, and ignoring Luke, "Are you going to dinner with that lady? You look fancy, too."

"Yes, Bekkah. I'm meeting the pretty lady for a fancy dinner. Tell me, how did she look when she left. Was she happy or sad? Or maybe mad?"

"Oh! She looked happy! And she winked at me when she left! When I get big I want to wear a dress like that and go to a ball, though. Not to a dinner, that sounds boring."

Luke chuckled, relieved. Though, her good mood probably wouldn't last if he left her waiting at the restaurant much longer. He gave the little girl a grin, "Well, Bekkah. When you're big enough to wear a dress like that maybe I'll take you to a ball,"

Bekkah's eyes lit up with delight and she squealed, "Oh wow! I'm going to go tell my friend! She's not going to believe this! Thanks Mister Luke!" And with that she took off running down the hall, tiny Kymmie scrambling to keep up.

Luke smiled again as he made his way back to his transport. This evening might not be a total bust after all...

* * *

Prince Phialo arrived at precicely eight o'clock in the lobby of Mara Jade's building, but had to take a moment to collect himself when he first caught sight of her. The cut of her dress was simple, yet astounding. It was halter style, in that there was a string of glittering diamonds which held the front panels up by curving around the base of her neck from one side to the other, but the center V of the neckline plunged low enough that her navel was exposed, revealing a painstakingly toned abdomen. The back (of which there wasn't much) consisted solely of another string of diamonds connecting the string at her neck with the royal blue silk below her waist, falling delicately to her ankle. The provocative slit nearly up to the top of Mara's right thigh seemed mild and almost adolescent compared to the rest of the gown. The dress was a tailored masterpiece, obviously made specifically for its current wearer, and left very little to the imagination. Phialo wasn't completely sure he was going to be able to make it through the entire evening before taking her.

"My Lady, there are simply no words to describe your beauty this evening," He drank in the sight of her, admiring her coppery locks swept up from her neck in an intricate twist only to cascade back down in soft waves ending just above the sparkling gemstones of her dress. His eyes traveled down the rest of her, pausing briefly to admire each curve and every inch of flesh, "Simply divine," he murmured as he took her hand and gently kissed her fingers.

Mara blushed innocently and lowered her eyes, "Thank you, Your Highness. Shall we go?" With her last word, she looked the Prince directly in the eyes and gave him a knowing smile.

Prince Phialo nodded an agreement as he offered his arm, which she took, and led her to the door. Quickly glancing about, The Prince took note that while every set of eyes in the lobby were gaping at the gorgeous specimen on his arm, her crisp green gaze never left his face.

Yes, he decided, this was going to be quite an evening.


End file.
